Bishop of St Germans avoids direct response to Transforming Mission finance question

A response by the Bishop of St Germans, the Rt Rev Hugh Nelson,  to a request at last Saturday's Diocesan Synod for transparency over Transforming Mission finances is reproduced below. Bishop Hugh did not directly respond to the request to provide the original sustainability model spreadsheets. We would be interested to hear of people's responses to this statement. 

Bishop Hugh repeated figures produced by the Diocese earlier in the month relating to vastly increased youth work in Camborne Cluster following Transforming Mission.  These figures contradict a Diocesan document produced in October 2018, which details extensive youth work across Camborne Cluster before the Transforming Mission programme was started there in 2019.

TRURO DIOCESAN SYNOD   28/5/22

 9/1     Question under Standing Orders,

Vivian Hall Altarnun w Bolventor, Trigg Major Deanery Synod, and General Synod

'Can you please provide the original sustainability model spreadsheets for Cornwall’s Transforming Mission (Falmouth, Camborne, Highertown, Liskeard and St Austell) projects in 2017 and 2019, including their growth and development targets, plus up-to-date audits. Diocesan funds are involved.’

 Vivian, thank you for your question.

 All the diocesan funding involved in TM is properly, publicly and correctly audited either by the Church Commissioners or by the Diocese, and published in our Annual report and Accounts. Within the Diocese that includes being scrutinised by the Finance Assets and Risk Committee (FAR), Bishop’s Diocesan Council (BDC), Diocesan Synod and an external auditor.

 As an added level of oversight and audit, the new Board for Chang/e and Renewal will oversee all our investment in change and growth, including TM, Lower Income Community Funding (LICF) and new mission funding arising from Deanery plans. This Board will report to BDC on a regular basis.

 The original TM plans were made in close partnership with the Church Commissioners’, drawing on their considerable experience in investing in similar projects, many of which have proved to be remarkably fruitful. Research suggests that such projects reach a younger audience, lead to more people coming to faith and produce younger vocations. It is important to stress that the Archbishops’ Council funding was given expressly for these projects following their own rigorous process of approval. It is not available to be used for any other purpose.

 At a time when mission is complex and demanding, and as the Diocese with the lowest number of children and young people engaged in church life, TM is a bold investment in future fruitfulness and sustainability in the church in Cornwall. All five projects focus on connecting with people and communities that we don’t often see in our churches – especially children, young people and their families. They have engaged in different ways according to their setting, and all have seen significant fruit.

 There have, of course, been challenges: above all the COVID 19 Pandemic hit at a very early stage in the life of the TM2 projects. That has had a significant impact including on recruitment and retention and the attainment of targets for numerical growth. At the same time there was an underspend on the projects against budget of £197K in 2021 so where growth has been slower than anticipated so has expenditure.

 In 2021 the combined expenditure on TMFalmouth and TM2 from diocesan reserves was about £250k, in support of five projects (plus contributions from the churches themselves). By contrast the commitment to mission funding through On the Way from reserves for the non-TM deaneries is, at £2million over 5-7 years, actually greater (per head of population in each deanery) than the diocesan contribution to the TM2 deaneries.

 As a matter of good practice all the TM projects are currently being reviewed in partnership with the Church Commissioners’, as the main funders. This review includes the work of Deanery planning through On the Way, which is integrating their work much more fully with the mission and ministry of the wider Deanery. Nonetheless there is much to celebrate in the work of the TM projects. To cite just one example TM Camborne at the start had contact with just 20 young people. Now through an amazing creative mix of projects and initiatives that figure has risen to astonishing 460 children and young people and almost 230 parents and carers from across the cluster. We should rejoice in the fruit our investment is producing.